“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently—they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” -- Steve Jobs

Cardiac surgeon David Murphy didn’t get the Steve Jobs quote quite right, but the sentiment was there. Speaking at NSCAD University’s student awards reception on Wednesday, Nov. 9, he toasted the “crazy ones” — NSCAD students who enrich the Halifax and Nova Scotia community with their creativity and impress with their distinguished and varied accomplishments.

The reception was a chance to recognize students who received NSCAD’s scholarships and bursaries but also to recognize donors like Dr. Murphy and his wife Sonia Salisbury Murphy, who contribute generously of both their time and money to NSCAD University.  More than $190,000 in awards were distributed.

“We know you’re not here just to have a good time,” said Dr. Sonia Salisbury Murphy. “We know you’re here to pursue your dreams and that’s why we want to support you.”

NSCAD students April Dean and Najet Ghanai spoke about what the funding support means to them.

From Edmonton, Alberta, MFA student April Dean said the two scholarships she received—the Harrison McCain Scholarship in Memory of Marion McCain and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant—have drastically altered her experience at NSCAD. The support means she doesn’t have to worry about money and she is able to concentrate on her studio practice and research.

“I wake up every day feeling totally grateful,” says April, a printmaker. “I feel like I need to squeeze every bit of opportunity out of every single dollar that has been so generously given to me.”

Third-year student Najet Ghanai says your outlook changes when even one of a student’s financial stresses are lifted—expenses that include rent, food, utilities, supplies, books, tuition and transportation.  But moreover, recognition received through a scholarship acts as a boost to your confidence—“it’s giving you credit; you’ve done something that other people have noticed. You feel your work is valued and it pushes you further.”

An interdisciplinary student interested in design and sculpture, Najet adds financial support has also given her the luxury to explore her passion—furniture design—which she discovered in a foundation-year art history class. She’s hoping to explore furniture design further by going on an exchange to the United States next term.

“NSCAD has been the place for me, allowing me to narrow in on my interest while giving me the freedom to play and experiment,” says Najet, recipient of a SUNSCAD Scholarship for Student Involvement, the Sullivan Award in Memory of Mervyn D. Sullivan and a Robert Pope Foundation Undergraduate Award. “It’s so exciting to discover your passion. At first I thought it might be a fad but I’m just as hungry for furniture design as ever.”

Award and recipients, Fall and Winter 2011: